Best Skiing in the French Alps: A Beginner’s Guide

No planning involved, just enjoy the ride. Skiing the French Alps in March with Ski Itineraries is scenic, fun, and culturally immersive.

Who could’ve known that skiing the French Alps in March was even possible? During our time in Europe in late March, we skied from Italy to Switzerland, we skied within Italy, and now it was time to ski from Italy to France to complete the northwestern alps magic trio. It was Day 3 of skiing with Ski Itineraries and although we could no longer feel our legs, the views and impeccable snow kept us going. As always, we started off on the Italian side with our ski tour guide Gianluca.

We got up the first ski lift to the first plateau. The snow seemed whiter than it had looked in days. It was the most snow blanketed alp I had seen since being in Europe in late March. We looped around the plateau to get to the next ski lift. We stopped to take in the views. It literally felt like we were on the moon. There was barely anyone on the slopes and all I saw was fresh white powder for miles.

Descending into France was different than our descent into Switzerland. In the distance we caught a bunch of para gliders soaring on a flat plateau in the snow. Apparently they were soaring in the passport check area. In the summer, when people drive across from Italy to France they stop by this passport check area. Since it was winter, the mountain was open for all and no passport checks were required. We did ski by the border of Italy and France though and stop to take a picture in front of the France and Italian border sign. Ciao ciao Italia and bonjour France!

The descent into France was marvelous. It felt like we were skiing and sliding down towards the end of a funnel. Now I don’t know if it was because there was more snow at this resort or if it was because there were less people skiing and more ground to take on, but skiing the French Alps in March ended up being my favorite skiing experience with Ski Itineraries. There was something so tranquil about the skiing here. No rush, no busy ski groups, no bottle necking towards the ski lifts, just the open road (or open slopes in this case) as some would say.

Once at La Thuile in France, we stopped at a beautiful lodge, cafe, and bar for a juice and a slice of cake for breakfast. The lodge was awesome with a gaming room, billiards room, extensive bar, and more. It was a super cool apres ski location.

After a quick pick me up, we made our way back to Italy for lunch. We found a chalet and ordered some pasta, sandwiches, beer, and a nice warm vegetable soup. There was a warm and intimate sitting area at the back of the chalet rich in fur rugs, warm woolen blankets, and more. It seemed like the perfect place for a bunch of friends to retreat to on a snowy day skiing the French Alps in March. My vegetable soup had come with a small slice of fontina cheese. I went on about how this was some of the best fontina cheese I had ever had. Boy was I wrong. Gianluca from Ski Itineraries immediately stopped me and let me know that the best fontina cheese came from a local cheese maker right around the corner from my boutique hotel. He said he would have us stop by there before the end of the day because we couldn’t leave Italy without tasting this cheese. That cheese was the only thing I had on my mind for the rest of the day.

When we eventually were back in Italy, we made our way back to our boutique hotel just a stones throw away from the three resorts we had visited in the last few days. But not without stopping at a few local spots along the way. Gianluca from Ski Itineraries had us stop at Aosta city for a walk, some history, and a taste of ginepy. After visiting Aosta, we stopped by a hidden local cheese maker right around the corner from our boutique hotel where I tasted some of the best fontina cheese I had ever had in my life. The cheeses were so affordable…we ended up taking some home! This was all knowledge only a local who knew the areas ins and outs would have. That night we got to our boutique hotel sad that we were leaving. But we were leaving with a chalk full of incredible memories and experiences.

Ski Itineraries did an impeccable job at showing us the best of the best in the northwestern alps area, as well as giving us a taste of each different country. I could’ve never have planned such a distinct, unique, and immersive experience on my own. Especially at this price…skiing in Italy was cheaper than skiing in America! If you don’t believe me, for more on my cost by cost comparison, read on here. This was knowledge only a local would know. Skiing would never be the same for me. Not only because of the views, but because of the service we experienced too.

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